This invention relates to manufacturing processes and control, and more particularly to a mixed models machine assembly process including automatic parts bin access control.
Manufacturing processes and manufacturing control systems therefor as disclosed for examples in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,827,423, 5,530,857 and 5,768,133, are well known. Some such manufacturing processes involve the assembly of a plurality of various different components and parts, at a plural number of different workstations, therefore requiring careful control. Further, some such manufacturing processes involve assembly of such components to anyone of a mixed plurality of different machine models, as well as being processes that are required to adhere to, and are driven by, a need for shorter and shorter order-to-delivery time cycles. Hence there is a strong need for tightly controlling part inventory, parts substitutions, and in particular for preventing operator error by assembling only correct and currently approved parts to the right mixed machine model.
Conventional shop floor or manufacturing process control systems do not discuss or attempt to address such operator error. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,423 issued May 2, 1989 to Beasley et al, is directed to a Computer Integrated Manufacturing System that includes a plurality of levels of computer control which organize and disseminate information for controlling shop floor level systems. Both scheduling data and data relating to process, product, and material specifications as well as bills of material are generated in an upper level computer system and refined and down loaded as needed to lower level computers controlling the shop floor processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,133 issued Jun. 16, 1998 to Chen et al is directed to an interactive data processing system and/or method for a manufacturing plant including a shop floor control system. A server contains a data engine for extracting data, a load and transform data unit, and a database management storage unit. Data from the shop floor control system is supplied to the data engine in the server. The data engine can run the shop floor control system. The data engine supplies data received from the shop floor control system to the load and transform data unit. The load and transform data unit supplies data to the database management storage unit where the data is stored in a disk storage unit in storage space allocated to a conventional database management system employed for the purpose of management of data. The database management storage unit supplies data to an interactive graphic user interface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,857 issued Jun. 25, 1996 to Gimza, is directed to a method and system for controlling a shop floor of a factory including an individual workstation or a workstation of an outfit that is associated with the workstation of a corresponding local interface unit. The system includes standard widespread hardware and software and is connected to a local area network in order to be connected with the shop floor control center of the factory.
As pointed out above, conventional shop floor or manufacturing process control systems. as exemplified above, do not discuss or attempt to address such operator error.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a machine models assembly workstation is provided for selectively assembling a variety of different machine parts to different machine models having different model identification numbers. The workstation includes a machine model assembly area for holding each different machine model during parts assembly; a machine travel path to, and from, the machine model assembly area; and a plurality of bins located at the machine model assembly area for holding the different machine parts to be selectively assembled to the different models. Each bin of the plurality of bins has walls defining a parts holding chamber, and an access opening into the chamber. A shutter is attached to the walls over the access opening, and has an unlocked open position and a closed locked position. The machine models assembly workstation also includes a bin access control device, responsive to an input machine model identification number, for selectively closing and locking a first set of the plurality of bins, and for automatically selecting, unlocking and opening a second set of the plurality of bins, such that the second set of the plurality of bins holds only approved machine parts for assembly into a machine having the input machine model identification number, thereby enabling fast and accurate assembly while effectively preventing inadvertent operator assembly errors.